After a brief break to head home for an early Christmas, Oklahoma State's players and coaches reconvened in Shreveport, La. to resume preparations for the PetroSun Independence Bowl against SEC opponent Alabama.

All 105 players were on hand as Mike Gundy put the team through their first on-site practice. He said the practice was designed to get his squad back into the flow of things.

"We had a good practice. A lot of times you're concerned about the first bowl practice," Gundy said. "Obviously the players are excited to be here and having had three or four days off, but we moved around very well and did a good job. We're looking forward to the week here."

"Our goal was to have a nice two-hour practice and run them some. They handled it well. We scrimmaged a little bit. I wanted the guys to set their pads and bang heads a little bit. They haven't really done a lot in three or four days."

For junior wide receiver Adarius Bowman, the workout worked as intended.

"It was nice to get back to practice and get back in the groove of things," Bowman said. "It was nice to go back home and get to see my family, but it is time to get back to playing football. It felt good out there today."

Quarterback Bobby Reid expects a stiff challenge from the Crimson Tide defense in the bowl game.

"Those guys are well organized and they know what to do," Reid said. "They play in arguably the toughest conference in the nation. We are taking it as a challenge. It is going to be a good game on Thursday."

While the Cowboys are in Louisiana and focused on the game, most of their fanbase is still at home for the holidays. Reid expects a solid turnout of orange for the game, however.

"Our fans are one of a kind," he said. "If we had to play somewhere in California, we would probably sell out all our tickets. That is how faithful our fans are. They love us and this program. We love them back."

The PetroSun Independence Bowl is set for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on Thursday, Dec. 28 and will be nationally televised by ESPN.